Dictionary

confide en · VERB

Pronunciation

• (Southern-England) audio
• /kənˈfaɪd/

Etymology

From Middle Scots confide, confyde (“to put trust in”), from Latin confīdere (“to put trust in, have confidence in”), from con- (“together”) + fidēre (“to trust”). First attested in English use in the early 17th century. Doublet of faith and fidelity.

Meanings

1. (archaic, intransitive, with in) To have confidence in someone. ▸ To trust or have faith (in).
   • In thy protection I confide. 1807, Lord Byron, The Prayer of Nature:
   • I confide in her judgement in this matter.
   • You can confide in him doing the right thing.
   • "Be calm, lovely Antonia!" he replied; "no danger in near you: confide in my protection." 1796, Matthew Lewis, The Monk, Folio Society, published 1985, page 269:
   • I shall do nothing rashly: you know me sufficiently to confide in my prudence and consideration whenever the safety of others is committed to my care. 1816 June – 1817 April/May (date written), [Mary Shelley], chapter II, in Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus. […], volume I, London: […] [Macdonald and Son] for Lackington, Hughes, Harding, Mavor, & Jones, published 1 January 1818, →OCLC, page 16:
2. (intransitive, with in) To have confidence in someone. ▸ To take (someone) into one's confidence; to speak in secret with.
   • She confided in me about her plan to rob the bank.
   • I could no longer keep this secret alone; I had to confide in my brother.
3. (dated, transitive) To entrust (something) to the responsibility of someone.
   • I confide this mission to you alone.
4. (intransitive, transitive) To say (something) in confidence.
   • One student had been so afraid to come out to our meetings that he would secretly meet me in the bookshelves of the library and confide about the miseries of being gay, closeted, and a virgin. 1977 December 10, Mark N. Silber, “Gays On Campus — One Story”, in Gay Community News, volume 5, number 23, page 15:
   • After several drinks, I confided my problems to the barman.
   • She confided that her marriage had been in trouble for some time.

Forms

Deriveds

reconfide · confidee · misconfide · confidable · unconfided · confider · confiding

Relateds

confidence · confidante · overconfident · confidant · confident · confidential

Translations (44)

fi uskoutua (to say (something) in confidence) · gl confiar (to say (something) in confidence) · ar نَاجَى (intransitive: to take (someone) into one's confidence) · fr faire confiance (to trust, have faith in) · tr güvenmek (intransitive: to take (someone) into one's confidence) · gl confiar (intransitive: to take (someone) into one's confidence) · ota اینانمق (to trust, have faith in) · nl toevertrouwen (to say (something) in confidence) · fr confier (intransitive: to take (someone) into one's confidence) · sq besosh (to trust, have faith in) · fr confier (to say (something) in confidence) · de anvertrauen (to say (something) in confidence) · bg доверявам се (intransitive: to take (someone) into one's confidence) · la concrēdō (intransitive: to take (someone) into one's confidence) · ru дове́рить (intransitive: to take (someone) into one's confidence) · cs důvěřovat (to trust, have faith in) · ru доверя́ть (intransitive: to take (someone) into one's confidence) · el εκμυστηρεύομαι (to say (something) in confidence) · es confiarse a (intransitive: to take (someone) into one's confidence) · de vertrauen (to trust, have faith in) · bg поверявам (to say (something) in confidence) · ru дове́риться (to trust, have faith in) · fi uskoutua (intransitive: to take (someone) into one's confidence) · uk поклада́тися (intransitive: to take (someone) into one's confidence) · mi whāki (to say (something) in confidence) · id curhat (to say (something) in confidence) · ru доверя́ться (to trust, have faith in) · de einweihen (intransitive: to take (someone) into one's confidence) · gl confiar (to trust, have faith in) · fi luottaa (to trust, have faith in) · uk довіря́ти (to trust, have faith in) · bg доверявам (to trust, have faith in) · cmn 委托 (intransitive: to take (someone) into one's confidence) · nl vertrouwen (op) (to trust, have faith in) · de ins Vertrauen ziehen (intransitive: to take (someone) into one's confidence) · gl fiar (to say (something) in confidence) · nl toevertrouwen (intransitive: to take (someone) into one's confidence) · mi muna (to say (something) in confidence) · bg вя́рвам (to trust, have faith in) · cs svěřit (intransitive: to take (someone) into one's confidence) · tr güvenmek (to trust, have faith in) · la concrēdō (to say (something) in confidence) · es confiar (to trust, have faith in) · tr sırrını söylemek; açılmak (to say (something) in confidence)